The correct answer is A) higher than its actual position. Astronomical refraction is the bending of the light from a celestial body as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. This refraction effect causes the celestial body to appear higher in the sky than its true position. This is because the atmosphere acts like a lens, refracting the light and making the body appear to be in a different location than it actually is. The other answer choices are incorrect because: B) lower than its actual position is the opposite of what astronomical refraction does; C) and D) refer to the apparent shift in azimuth (left/right), which is not the primary effect of refraction.